Firstly, don’t panic. You will forget something. Everyone does.. but there will be 100s or 1000s of new friends who will be able to help you out if your best buds have forgotten theirs too.
Secondly, this list assumes you can drive right up to your campsite (rather than having to lug everything from your car). If that’s the case, halve everything below (at least).
So, without further ado.. my list of things you need to pack:
Festival ticket (duh.. but it does happen), vehicle pass, and ID
Cash (even if you know there will be an ATM onsite.. just in case)
All your gorgeous festival/doof wear like these sacred geometry clothes or some mushroom or bee design action…
Plus all your fabulous costumes like doof-fairy-wings ; your UV glow-wear and el-wire light up stuff that flashes in time to the music for the dancefloor
Doof stick if you wanna
Spray bottle for the dancefloor or misting fan
If you have the talent: twirling stuff, hoops, drum etc
Remember to pack clothing to layer from camisoles/tank tops to scarfs and jeans. A hoodie can be a fabulous investment to stay warm at night
Pack to cover all weather outcomes (yes, that means rain, mud, frost, or boiling sunshine). Comfy shoes are an absolute must!
And lastly, a hat and sunnies completes every look
Tent and shadecloths etc
Sleeping bag and mattress and pillow (it’s always the one I forget)
Esky, ice, food, water, snacks, alcohol (remember that most festivals have a no glass policy so decant into plastic and label everything really really well). If you want to pre-prepare some meals, check out my other post on this.
Camp chair or maybe some cool blow up loungers or a hammock if the terrain allows. Just remember to weight your blow up stuff down so it doesn’t escape.
Table
Cooking and eating gear if you’re allowed (just be sure to check it’s not a total fireban). You can actually eat reasonably well even if all you are allowed to have is one of those dip the coils in the water coffee heater things that plug into your car cigarette lighter.. see meals blog post mentioned above.
Some form of decoration for your campsite (flag, bunting, solar fairy lights) so you can find it again (but try not to decapitate anyone with your bunting or tape). Try to go with solar-powered rather than battery powered (for the sake of the environment).
Ipod dock or small music player for campsite (so long as it doesn’t interfere with other campers)
Garbage bags for the campsite (leave no trace)
Reusable water bottle
Toilet roll
Sunscreen
Insect repellent
Toiletries, including the obligatory lots of wet wipes and dry shampoo, as well as a good supply of hand sanitiser, makeup remover (especially if you’ll be wearing glitter) and deodorant. Ear plugs and eye masks are also nice to have as well as hydralites which you can make yourself.
Any medications you might need plus a first aid kit (at least take the ibuprofen and bandaids, but consider also multivitamins, aloe vera, stingoes or lavender oil for bites, baby powder ~ no one likes chafing ~ and eye drops if it’s dusty). If you are single and ready to mingle, don’t forget the condoms & lube… and try not to make too much noise if your tent is next to mine 😉
Torch (and spare batteries for longer festivals) or head-torce, or even an el-wire hat?
Extra phone battery or re-charger
Book and pen (for the workshops or you might just want to write down any thoughts that come to you over the weekend) 😉
You might also like to pack a small bag for the drive home too, with some warm clean clothes, some relaxing tunes (to keep you all happy in the line up for the gate), some water and some snacks.
Have fun!